The pure, frank sentiments we hold in our hearts are the only truthful sources of art. A painting which does not take its inspiration from the heart is nothing more than futile juggling. All authentic art is conceived at a sacred moment and nourished in a blessed hour; an inner impulse creates it, often without the artist being aware of it."
C.D.F.The French sculptor David d’Angers said of him, "Here is a man who has discovered the tragedy of landscape."
"Close your bodily eye, so that you may see your picture first with the spiritual eye. Then bring to the light of day that which you have seen in the darkness so that it may react upon others from the outside inwards. Painters train themselves in inventing or, as they call it, composing. Does not that mean perhaps, in other words that they train themselves in patching and mending? A picture must not be invented but felt. Observe the form exactly, both the smallest and the large and do not separate the small from the large, but rather the trivial from the important."
"The artist should not only paint what he sees before him, but also what he sees within him. If, however, he sees nothing within him, then he should also omit to paint that which he sees before him."
C.D.F.Reference Source:
Caspar David Friedrich; Line And Transparency; Edited by Jacqueline et Maurice Guillaud; Guillaud Editions, Paris.
Landscapes People Religious People Cont. Gothic Ships Buildings Ships Cont. Trees This page hosted by
Get your own Free Home Page
